Scan barcode
A review by sophiesometimesreads
Five Survive by Holly Jackson
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
I can properly review this now Harper Collins and the Union have signed a contract, yay!
I really enjoyed this book. It was intense, the stakes were high, my heart was pumping and it was definitely thrilling. I haven’t been this engaged in a book for a long time, I literally ignored all my adult responsibilities just to finish about 60% of this book in a day.
I felt a lot for the characters, so much so that I even teared up at parts of the story which I did NOT expect going into a thriller. I also wanted to rip my hair out at some of the characters and their decisions but that just made it even more fun. I can appreciate absolutely horrible characters as long as they make you feel something and have a purpose in the story.
Maybe I should have seen some of the twists coming but I was so engaged in the story and was devouring it that any small details that may have hinted at the twists just went under my radar because I was distracted by other things. That’s something that I find Holly Jackson does really well and this is no exception. The plot may have been a bit out there and not completely realistic but I could suspend disbelief enough to enjoy it and ride the roller coaster that was this book.
The writing style was different but I think it was a great choice to highlight the important parts of Red personality that played a big role in the rest of the story.
Overall, I had an excellent time with this book and I’d recommend it to anyone who is a fan of thrillers. Somehow I felt scared, angry and fearful and cried at the same time, which is definitely a feat for me.
I really enjoyed this book. It was intense, the stakes were high, my heart was pumping and it was definitely thrilling. I haven’t been this engaged in a book for a long time, I literally ignored all my adult responsibilities just to finish about 60% of this book in a day.
I felt a lot for the characters, so much so that I even teared up at parts of the story which I did NOT expect going into a thriller. I also wanted to rip my hair out at some of the characters and their decisions but that just made it even more fun. I can appreciate absolutely horrible characters as long as they make you feel something and have a purpose in the story.
Maybe I should have seen some of the twists coming but I was so engaged in the story and was devouring it that any small details that may have hinted at the twists just went under my radar because I was distracted by other things. That’s something that I find Holly Jackson does really well and this is no exception. The plot may have been a bit out there and not completely realistic but I could suspend disbelief enough to enjoy it and ride the roller coaster that was this book.
The writing style was different but I think it was a great choice to highlight the important parts of Red personality that played a big role in the rest of the story.
Overall, I had an excellent time with this book and I’d recommend it to anyone who is a fan of thrillers. Somehow I felt scared, angry and fearful and cried at the same time, which is definitely a feat for me.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gun violence, Violence, Blood, Death of parent, and Murder
Moderate: Grief, Gore, and Medical trauma
Minor: Alcohol and Alcoholism